Enabling factors for the diffusion of circular economy and their impacts on sustainability

Circular Economy is a new industrial paradigm aimed at overcoming the linear “take, make, disposal” model, which “relies on large quantities of easily accessible resources and energy, and as such is increasingly unfit to the reality in which it operates”. The Circular Economy can be defined as “a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy loops”. Slowing resource loops is about extending the utilization period of products, for instance through longlasting design and maintenance operations, to slow down the overall flow of resources. Closing resource loops is about ensuring circular flows of resources by closing the loop between post-use and production. Narrowing resource loops is about reducing the resource use associated with products and production process. The Circular Economy model promises to reduce the environmental and social impact of current production and consumption activities (Kirchherr et al., 2017) and, simultaneously, provide companies with relevant environmental benefits. Hence, the Circular Economy is fully integrated into the broader sustainability paradigm